News

Former Def Jam creative director/visual artist Cey Adams and famed music photographer Janette Beckman have teamed up for a new book titled "The Mash Up: Hip-Hop Photos Remixed By Iconic Graffiti Artists."

The British-born Beckman — who is now based in New York City — kicked off her career as punk rock was just starting to take shape, working for music magazines The Face and Melody Maker. In 1983, she moved to the Big Apple where she photographed hip-hop pioneers such as Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J.

Rick Rubin will be the focus of a new documentary series on Showtime. Titled Shangri-La, the Morgan Neville-directed series intends to showcase the Def Jam Recordings co-founder's creative process and highlight his various career milestones.

The series is set and named after Rubin’s Malibu recording studio.

A “work-in-progress” cut is expected to be unveiled at the 2019 SXSW Festival this March, while the official version will air later this year on Showtime.

Outkast MC Big Boi has joined The Public Good Projects' Therapy Pets campaign in an effort to debunk the stigma surrounding mental health.

The roughly one-and-a-half minute animated short stars Big Boi as "Captain Owl," a cartoon owl who navigates his aircraft while trying to find the right words to describe a condition that affects more than 40 million people across the country.

“Being a dad and a man of words I wanted to help bring attention to the importance of choosing good words to talk about mental health," he wrote on January 9. "So I teamed up with some of my friends to put together an animation featuring my owls."

Celebrated producer Blockhead (real name Tony Simon) has resurfaced with the first single from his forthcoming Free Sweatpants album. Titled "Kiss The Cook," the track features longtime friend and collaborator Aesop Rock.

The two hip-hop vets teamed up in 2007 for Rock's None Shall Pass album on the title track, "Bring Back Pluto," "Coffee" and "Flumes," among others.

Their undeniable chemistry is evident on "Kiss The Cook" and will satisfy fans of both artists.